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SENATE. 



No. 57. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE 



TO WHOM WAS REFERRED THE 



MEMORIAL OF THE ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY. 



»IEMORIAL. 



To the Honorable Senate of the Commonwealth of Mas- 
sachusetts. 



The Memorial of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery So- 
ciety respectfully represents, 

That, although they have been partially heard before 
the Joint Committee o( the Legislature, to whom their 
recent petition was referred, yet your Memorialists re- 
spectfully declare, that the majority of the Committee 
would not grant them a full hearing of the arguments 
which they proposed to address to said Committee, but 
that they were interrupted, when advancing arguments 
entirely relevant, as they believe, to the subject before 
the Committee, and thus prevented from presenting their 
views on subjects of the deepest importance to themselves 
and the other citizens of this Commonwealth. Your 
Memorialists would, therefore, most respectfully, protest 
against the passage of any law for suppressing abolition 
societies, or declaring the circulation of the publication 
of abolitionists a penal offence, and against the passage 
of any resolutions censuring the measures of such socie- 
ties or of abolitionists generally, believing that it would 
be a gross invasion of the rights of citizens, either to en- 



4 SLAVEY. March, 1836. 

act penal laws against them, or to censure their principles 
and measures without allowing them to be heard fully 
and patiently in their defence. 

JOSEPH SOUTHWICK, President, 
HENRY E. BENSON, Secretary. 

Boston, March 9, 1836. 



In Senate, March 10, 1836. 
Read, and laid on the table. 

In Senate, March 11, 1836. 

Referred to the Committee on so much of the Govern- 
or's Address as relates to Slavery. 

Sent down for concurrence. 

CHARLES CALHOUN, Clerk. 



House of Representatives, Marcii II, 1836. 
Concurred. 

L. S. CUSIIING, Clerk. 



^omrsionUjealtij of iHa.cjsnicf)usctt<3i. 



The Joint Special Committee to whom was referred the 
Memorial of certain persons, called the Massachusetts 
Anti-Slavery Society, in which they state that the 
Committee refused them a full hearing in the premises, 
ask leave respectfully to submit the following 



REPORT: 



In the progress of their investigation of the matters 
originally referred to them, and while they were pre])aring 
to report to the Legislature, your Committee received, 
through their chairman, a note from an individual, re- 
questing to be heard before them, on the part of the 
Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society ; and stating as a 
reason therefor, that their motives had been misappre- 
hended, and their conduct misjudged. From the very 
first momejit, your Committee entertained the strongest 
doubt, to express it in no more decisive language, as to 
the extent of their powers to permit a hearing in this be- 
half. But being weW aware, that their report and the 
subsequent action of the Legislature thereon, might, in 
some way or other, affect the interests of the persons re- 
questing to be heard, and remembering that these individ- 
uals were our fellow-citizens, under whatever name, ask- 



6 SLAVERY. March 

ing a remedy at the source of justice, and entertaining a 
strong desire to avoid every aj)penrance of expressing an 
opinion, without a full understanding of the real desires 
of the persons in question, from their own mouths, your 
Committee ventured to permit the meeting requested, 
hoping, that the power which gave them their authority, 
would, in the end, appreciate their motives and justify 
their conduct. 

Your Committee could not but be aware, that, strictly 
speaking, the only parties to the papers in their posses- 
sion, were this Legislature and the Legislatures of the 
five States, who transmitted the documents, upon which 
they were deliberatino-, to our own Executive ; and that 
the investigation could hardly help assuming something 
of an ex-parie character, when the anti-slavery societies 
were permitted to appear, with such allegations and evi- 
dence as they chose to submit, while the southern j)lanter 
could not, in the nature of the case, be present, either to 
replv by argument, or to offer testimony in behalf of his 
own side of the case. Your Committee, however, ven- 
tured to overlook all this, and heard the party upon two 
several occasions. At both hearings, and |)articularly ihe 
second, your Committee regretted to find, in a ])ortion of 
the speakers, instead of that modest dememior becoming 
citizens in j)resence of a committee of the Legislature, a 
vehemence both of language and manner, and r.n open 
avowal of their determination to j)ursue their object at all 
hazards, which did not tend to conciliate the sentiments 
of vour Conunittei', and whose ])ur])ose seemed to he to 
arouse Icc-'lin^s alrca(l\ irritable enoiiiili upon this hiuhly 
exciting t !j)ic. The ("oinmittee suggested to the iiidi- 
viduals apj)earing, that thev \\v\v |iermitted to come in 
meriily as a matter of fa\or and indulgi.-nce, and not u[)on 



1836. SENATE— No. 57. 7 

any ground of right. But, notwithstanding all this, the 
Committee, by its chairman, was several times called 
upon to interpose, in order to check irrelevant discussion, 
and to restrain offensive and improper language. But 
whatever might have been the intention of these individ- 
uals, your Committee certainly listened to many things, 
upon these occasions, of a nature so indecorous and im- 
proper, that they had frequent occasion to regret that the 
indulgence of a hearing had been granted at all. 

The Committee feel this to be the most painful part of 
their duty, where none has been very agreeable ; and they 
trust that the Legislature will understand, that the report 
they make upon this point is intended only as a reason 
why no further hearing should be granted to the individu- 
als in question. In point of fact, at the first meeting, 
four persons, appearing on behalf of the anti-slavery so- 
ciety, occupied about two hours and an half in speaking ; 
at the second meeting, four persons, in part the same, oc- 
cupied about an equal amount of time ; and your Com- 
mittee found nothing in the whole argument, to change, 
in any manner, their previous impressions. Neither have 
they any reason to believe, that any new view of the sub- 
ject is likely to be presented. Indeed, your Committee 
would, on no account, recommend any further hearing 
upon this question. The large assembly, which attended 
the second meeting above mentioned, was evidently in a 
state of much excitement ; and the consequences of an- 
other, could only be an increased agitation of the pub- 
lic mind. Your Committee have reason to believe, that 
at least some of those who appeared before them, desire 
this above all things ; and the only explanation of the 
complaint in their memorial against the Committee is, 
that, either wilfully or from mistaken views, they misun- 



8 SLAVERY. March, 1836. 

derstand the true nature of '•'■free discussion^'"' which your 
Committee, in common with them, consider of inestima- 
ble vahie : the Committee deeming it to be subject to the 
well known rules of courtesy, respect for the characters 
and rights of others, and the observance due to the con- 
stituted authorities of the state ; they apparently holding 
it to be liable to no limitation or restraint whatever. But 
your Committee have yet to learn, and they trust that 
the time lor such a lesson has not arrived, that it is any 
part of their business, in the discharge of duties, at best 
arduous and unpleasant, to find themselves subjected to 
violent and improper language, without an attempt to 
preserve that decorum which is due to their own self- 
respect, and the honor of the Commonwealth. 

They report, therefore, that the memorialists have 
leave to withdraw. 

^y order of the Committee. 

GEORGE LUNT, Chairman. 



REMONSTRAIVCE. 



To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of 
the Commonivealth of Massachusetts in General Court 
assembled. 

The remonstrance of the Massachusetts Anti-SIaverj 
Society, and the undersigned citizens of Massachusetts, 
respectfully represents, that the part of the Governor's 
message which relates to the subject of abolition, has 
been referred to a special joint committee of your two 
bodies, that certain resolutions of several of the slave- 
holding states, have been referred to the same committee, 
in which it is recommended to this honorable legislature, 
to suppress abolition societies by law, and also to pass 
laws making the circulation of such publications, as are 
issued by your petitioners — a penal offence. Your peti- 
tioners believing that a passage of any such law, as is 
recommended by the legislatures of the slave-holding 
states, would not only be a violation of their rights as in- 
dividual citizens, but a breach of the sacred principles of 
the constitution of the state, which declare that " the 
liberty of the press is essential to security of freedom in 
a state," and ought not to be restrained, and that the 
people have a right in an orderly and peaceable manner, to 
assemble to consult upon the common good — do respect- 
2 



10 REMONSTRANCE. March, 1836 

fully remonstrate against the enactment of any such law, 
or the passage of any resolutions, expressing unfavorable 

opinions of the measures or principles of abolitionists 

and fearing that the prevalent misunderstandings and 
misrepresentations of our sentiments and purposes, may 
influence the report of the committee, and perhaps the 
action of the legislature, we respectfully ask that our 
right to be heard before the committee, may be fully re- 
cognized, and we permitted to show why there should be 
no action of the legislature whatever on the subject. 

Boston, March 4, 1836. 

JOSEPH SOUTHWICK, President, 

Mass. A. S. Societyy 
SAMUEL J. MAY, Secretary, 
WM. LLOYD GARRISON, 
AMOS f ARNSWORTH, 
DRURY FAIRBANKS, 
HENRY GRAFTON CHAPMAN, 
SYLVANUS BROWN, 
ISAAC KNAPP, 
S. E. SEWALL, 
ELLIS GRAY LORING. 



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